Riding the Silver Wave

At the time of this writing, I’m in Halifax airport, heading back to the island (NL) after 4 days in Fredericton at the Silver Wave Film Festival.  Thanks to traveling via Aeroplan points (for $156 rather than $1600 dollars return) I got there a day early, and had to leave a day earlier than I’d hoped.  But it’s all good.

Claire Donnan & Emily Dawe in Talus & Scree         Photo Andrea Edwards

Upon arrival, while still in the airport, I knew I had a friend in SWFF volunteer (and researcher) Katrina Mulherin. Day 1 at the festival started with a capacity crowd for Gia Milani’s award winning first feature, All the Wrong Reasons.  This is a film that has made waves for this NB filmmaker and she will, no doubt, ride its success into her next major project.  Well cast and well crafted, it’s getting the kind of attention that emerging filmmakers like me strive for as we carve out our paths.  At the gala party, I was delighted to reconnect with Dawn George, a wonderfully smart NS filmmaker (Adaptation) that I’m delighted to screen with here for the second time, and her guy Brad, along with a raft of filmmakers from PEI, NS, and NB, some of whom I’m sure to be working with at some point.  Late into the night, I discovered what a hoot Cat LeBlanc could be and gained even more admiration for her stamina, dedication, and talents (both personal and professional).

At the Friday morning panel in the SW industry sessions, Gia and her producer husband Tony Whalen spoke of the myriad of challenges they faced (and met) as they made the film. The next panel of the day, I was at the speaker’s table, along with two other female filmmakers with shorts in the festival.  Britany Sparrow, (Chopsticks, NB) and Pamela Lovelace (The Long and Short of Barry Small) and I had questions posed to us by veteran interviewer Christine McLean.  She asked us about our muses, our connection to place, and the people to whom we trusted and turned to as confidants, advisors, inspirations, and friends.  I learned a fair bit about myself from my answers actually.  Thanks Christine, that’s what a good moderator can do.

The rest of Friday was filled with panels, new connections, my first ever pitch (Carol Whiteman and Jan Miller would approve), and about 20 short films.  I also did an interview on behalf of my good friend, Martine Blue.  Her film, Desperate Scribbles, that I'm in, played in the Midnight Madness screening so I was delighted to represent it for her.  The number of people who, afterwards, asked about any number of films they’ve seen at the Atlantic festivals-Infanticide, Snarbuckled and Sweet Pickle come up a lot- and now Scribbles has been added to that list, always amazes me.   It was a late night but after getting a ride home with another new friend, Pauline Cronin, I slept better than I thought.  Those films were scary.

Claire on the edge of the cliff                                Photo: Andrea Edwards

Saturday morning, on the advice of Katrina, I visited the Farmers Market and dreamed of one like it for our vendors in St. John’s.  Then it was off to the noon and 2 pm screenings of Canadian and international shorts, where I watched the films with Wendy, a friend of Des’ who lives in Fredericton and spent part of this week in NL.  Though I’d seen a couple before, most of these films were new to me.  Pretty incredible when I think of how many I’ve seen since the circuit began this fall.  I was very happy to be amongst so many great films.  Talus & Scree received another warm, emotional welcome and before I dashed out to catch my plane this afternoon, I spoke to so many people who were compelled to share their responses, and their own stories, with me.  Though I wish I were there in Fredericton at the final screenings, I’m back in Halifax airport, charging my laptop and waiting for the plane to Gander.  I’ll stay overnight with my sister-in-law Leeann before getting the final flight back to St. John’s tomorrow morning.  None of this weeks adventure would have been possible without the fine folks who helped me financially (WIFT-AT and the All Access Award, Silver Wave included) and with their time (the festival volunteers, as well as my students and colleagues in St. John’s who covered for me) and their generosity (my large family and friends, old and new).  Thanks everyone, I look forward to seeing you all again at the next one!

Side by Side

A premiere at home…with my producer by my side.

Let's admit it, if your film is in the festival, all events leading up to it are somehow compressed in time.  I don't know why that happens but the mind works in wondrous ways.  So it was for me and Talus & Scree, my most recent writer/director project.

Friday at the SJIWFF24 started for me with the Writing Room forum hosted by Krissy Holmes and featuring guests Tassie Cameron and my good friend Sherry White, two of the main writers on Rookie Blue for the past 5 seasons.  It was a really informative 2 hour session delivered to, once again, a packed room.  We were treated to insider tips, practical advice, and experienced voices of women writers in Canadian television.  They wrapped up leaving just enough time to get home and change before my 7 pm screening.  Knowing that it was sold out several days before did nothing to easy my qualms but knowing that Krysta Rudofsky, my incredible producer and “sista from another mista”, would be on stage did comfort me.  

Photo: Andrea Edwards.  L-R  Krysta, Ruth.  See how happy I am to have her there? She's a gem and a very smart woman.

It was the first time I’d spoken to her since before the screening in Halifax at AFF.  We’d been texting an emailing but unfortunately, Krysta had undergone jaw surgery in Halifax the same week of our world premiere.  It was a huge relief (to me) to final speak to her and have her with me for this hometown screening.  It was a huge pain (literally) for her to talk but she persevered (an ongoing theme for her last 6 months) through the evening with grace.

It’s an emotional film for both of us and I couldn’t have imagined a better person to guide it through all of its myriad challenges, from shooting on a cliff with three children under 12 to completing the film (entirely) in under 3 months.  When I think of how it all came together, I’m still amazed.  The talents we assembled were all perfect for the project and without exception, each and every one gave us their best effort.  Together, the whole mix of talents in Talus & Scree is a rare example of how the elements can blend smoothly to create a moving picture.

Photo: Brad Gover.  L-R Emily Dawe holding Tegan McDonald in Talus & Scree (A Lucky Film)

For me, I was especially honoured to have my family (most of whom inspired the film) and so many of the cast and crew in attendance.  It turned out to be an inspired program of excellent shorts, including the latest from wonderchild  Stephen Dunn (he’s just 24 and has collected more hardware than Meryl Streep) showing one of the best CFC films I’ve ever seen in We Wanted More.   

Photo by my sister, Hazel Hickey.  Me & Stephen Dunn, relieved.

Another film, Fetch by Gwyneth Baillie, was dedicated to my dearly departed friend and George Brown Theatre school grad Patrick Conner.  In fact, almost every film was one I’ll remember for a long time.  After the warmest sustained response I’ve ever witnessed, we left the screening to get feedback from this amazing crowd, grab a bite to eat, then party at Pope Productions well into the night.  Once again, a good day in this life. A great festival in this place. 

On Saturday,  I celebrated Latonia Hartery's premiere of Wind Money in the afternoon, and a sold out screening of Rosemary House/Justin Simms' Hold Fast (with my sweetie as the lovable, young grandfather) to bring the week to a close.  Happy 24, SJIWFF!  Many thanks.

Yummy vegan cupcakes by TulipBaroo at the closing reception after Hold Fast (Writer/Producer Rosemary House)

WIFT-AT @SJIWFF24

Just want to take time to acknowledge the great work of both these organizations in nurturing the work of women in our industry:

The partnership of Women in Film and Television Atlantic and the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, based on this year’s weeklong celebrations, is healthy and happy.  The Festival generously provided passes for four of our board members to attend as many events as possible during the week.  So they did, and they were joined by a large number of WIFT-AT members here.  On Wednesday evening, Crystal Parsons, Shara King and Dominique Gussett hosted the first screening of evening shorts.  The ladies welcomed audience members in the lobby, displayed info on membership, and spoke before the screening. 

     Photo: Malin Enstrom (SJIWFF) L-R Crystal, Shara, Dominique speak at the screening.

On Saturday, we worked with SJIWFF to host a coffee break from 11am to 12 noon at the LSPU Hall.  Members mingled and chatted, enjoying the great selection of baked goods (and much needed chocolate-covered coffee beans!) and talking up the films, forums and plethora of parties that went on, all day, all night at this great event celebrating women filmmakers in all their diverse forms!

Photo: Malin Enstrom.  Dominique and Andrea confer at the coffee break!

 

A little Short Marketing Strategy session at SJIWFF

Last Wednesday at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, the day started early with a Film Forum with feature film producers and distributors on the most successful strategies for marketing your features.  It was a packed room, of course.  And because the WFF team is so smart, they recognized the difference between creating a marketing strategy for features and creating one for short films.  I’ve been looking and talking about a session like this for at least a year so when the call came a couple of weeks earlier, asking me to moderate for the shorts session, I said yes.  I knew I’d be there anyway and it was the perfect opportunity to get the answers I was seeking.  I figured, if I need them, maybe other filmmakers do too.   So 90 minutes after some great advice on features, our panel began.  We had Fred Joubaud from OUAT Media, Linda O from Movies that Matter (she created and runs the Oscar Shorts program) and local star Stephen Dunn, fresh off his CBC Short Film Face-off win.  How could they have assembled a better panel?  And that packed room?  Most people refreshed their coffees and pumpkin muffins and settled back in for this session while a few newbies slipped in the room.

 Photo: Malin Enstrom (SJIWFF) L-R: Ruth, Fred, Linda, Stephen.

The main message from the session was to “monetize your film.  Don’t think it can’t be done, it can.”  All panelists provided a solid list of successes for doing so and pointed out the pitfalls that many filmmakers fall into (my hand is up) offering our work for free to profitable businesses like online film festivals, YouTube and Vimeo once our “festival run” is over rather than work to get even a few pay-per-views.  It made total sense and changed my way of looking at my post-festival plans.  They advised not signing off your broadcast rights too early (negotiate a shorter window or less plays), planning each premiere (so you don’t disqualify yourself from a festival where you really want to screen vs. an invite that cost you nothing-but when that call comes, be HONEST and it might still go your way.  “Never lie about your premieres” was a point everyone agreed on.   

Linda offered tips on the film festivals that would bring you to them (and you have to go, it is completely worth it), Stephen offered his “cheat sheet” of the best festivals, and Fred offered distribution advice that could mean up to $10,000 extra dollars in your budget.  You’d have a pretty happy cast and crew with that kind of return because, of course, working as they do for so little, you’d have to share that little goldmine.  But they’d come running back to you on the next project, wouldn’t they?  That’s a pretty good strategy too.   

I'll be back with more soon on the WIFT-AT presence at the Fest!

From AFF to SJIWFF

From AFF to SJIWFF

In Halifax on September 15, I woke up with butterflies!  Lots of them, fluttering all over my insides.  I put a few final touches on my grant application and headed out to meet my two young actresses for lunch before the screening.  At Pete’s Frootique, 7 of us- daughters, mothers and grandmothers- gathered with our pre-show jitters.

Then it was off to get a couple of promo photos before heading back into the dark. 

We had a full row of Newfoundlanders who flew up for the screening or drove down from the Valley.  Our screening went really well and people I knew and didn’t know came up to speak to us so that was much appreciated.  The girls and their families were very happy.  Before I left Halifax, I taped an interview for the AFF Presents: CBC Download and it was uplifting to see that others had connected with our story.

Then I was back home to get those grant apps in!

Fast forward to October 22 and the opening of the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival.  This is always been my favorite festival to attend as a filmmaker because so much is on offer.  Whether you have a film in the festival or not, you can buy a pass and take part, not only in some of the best films made by women, but some of the top-tier expertise that the WFF brings in year after year.  I have always taken in as many of the film forums as I can.  It can make for very long days but it’s so worthwile.  The festival also brings in filmmakers (in addition to those who come on their own dime) and the connections that you can make with others who are sailing the same boat (albeit in a different direction) as you are is a comfort and, sometimes, a career changing experience.  I met my cinematographer because Ashley McKenzie had come to the SJIWFF to show her film the same year as Stephanie Weber Biron.  They hit it off and have been working together ever since.  I also met Ashley at that fest but it was at the next one that we spent more time together and, ultimately she introduced me to Stephanie, the perfect DOP for my current film and…that’s how festivals breed success.  This year, the St. John’s festival opened with The Grand Seduction, produced by Barbara Doran, one of NL’s most enduring and creative producers.  The film was shot mostly in New Bonaventure, Trinity Bay, where my sweetheart Des and I share a summer house.  So besides watching the filming, I also worked a few weeks on it (mostly prep but also a few days during shooting) when they were a bit short of hands and had just a little inside knowledge going into the premiere.  I also knew most of the actors so that made it all the more interesting.  I had loved the original French version of the film and was curious to see how it would work here.  So we went off to the opening.  

(Opening night at SJIWFF by Malin Enstrom.  Just down from centre, I can see my spot being saved for me by my sweetie.)

After the wonderful VIP reception and red carpet festivities, the sold out audience assembled.  And it was truly sold out, there may have been a seat or two empty (maybe their babysitters snuck in instead!) but that was it.  From the opening scene, the crowd laughed their way through this thoroughly entertaining film.  The pacing of the film was excellent and the performances were great. “Not a cringeworthy moment,” someone said and they were right.  For us who work in this industry, it’s precious when that happens and we want to celebrate it. People left the theatre and moved into the after party with huge smiles on their faces, hoping for a glimpse of Mr. Pinsent.  Now we’re primed for the week ahead…stay tuned!

Sitting in the dark

It's hard to say what the attraction is to sitting in the dark.  But I love it.  That is, I love it when I'm sitting in the dark with 200+ people all sharing a cinematic or theatrical experience.

Today started with a text from fellow filmmaker Ashley McKenzie and 20 minutes later, at 11 am, I was back in front of a screen for two great documentaries.  And a lot of people were there will us.  A quick introduction to Milliflore Clarke (whose work I've admired for a while) and then Zoo Revolution and Bad Coyote took us all over the world, then back to Cape Breton for two docs that questioned our relationships and ability to live with animals.  I was left with many questions, exactly as it should be.

A quick sip then back in the theatre for more Atlantic shorts including Megan Wennberg's Grain Elevators.  This was a poem on film project so I was really pleased to see it.  I'll be shooting one this fall so this was inspirational.  I was also pleased to see friend Natasha MacLellan on the screen!

 My T&S cast and crew...thinking of you all before tomorrow's screening!

Then it was off to the 10x10 challenge.  This is a project where 10 Atlantic directors get paired up with 10 Atlantic bands or musicians and they have 1 week and very limited resources to create a music video.  The results can be extraordinary and over the last few years, I've seen some incredible works.  Milliflore's video with Irish Mythen was lovely, as were several others (there was no program and my memory fails me for the artists, sorry) and so was Heavyweather's Adam Penney's video for  AA Wallace.  It's something I'd like to try when I get the nerve!

A quick bite (that I snuck into the theatre because there wasn't time to sit and eat) and then it was back in the theatre to see Bill MacGillivray & Terry Greenlaw's Hard Drive (shot by my own DP, Stephanie Weber Biron) and Eva Madden's short about Bill for the GG award he recently received for his lifetime of great work.  It was a dark film that pained me, in a good way, as I was swept up in the story.  There is a standout scene with Megan Follows and lots of lovely moments that stand out in this low budget feature.  Another glass of wine with new friends then back to the Festival lounge to end off the night!  I'll soon close my eyes and lie down in the dark this time. Tomorrow is the big day.

Today's new encounters and chats: Ashley & Milly, Pat Condon, Mike Cuffini, Justin, Jennice & Brad, Ian Foster, Bill & Terry, Ally & Tina Thoden, Jinx MacGillivray, Adam, Stephanie, Andrea Dorfmann, Fless, Colin MacKenzie, John Walker and Jason Beaudry. 

I've arrived!

Well, the trip started with me realizing enroute to the airport that I'd left my coat at home, so it will be a cool trip to Halifax in more ways than one.  No worries, I'll be inside most of the time.

At the check-in counter I discover that the plane has started boarding and I was half an hour late, rather than 45 min ahead of time as I thought!  Lucky for me, Porter cares about its service and they waited for me, so I got through security in fair time, and boarded the plane without any glares or hard looks!  An uneventful flight and we landed in the rain (needing a coat) but lucky for me, my friend (and director mentor on T&S) Justin Simms held the AFF shuttle for me.  He's some sweet.

The Lord Nelson, what a spot.  They've donated 2 nights as part of my AAP Award and I get to rest up in comfort next door to the cinemas.  Justin, Jennice Ripley and I head to the WIFT-AT reception where I meet some of the new board members, some of my former board colleagues, and meet some new NS industry folks at RockBottom Pub.  Then we head to the Gala reception for 15 minutes before taking in Gia Milani's debut feature.  While there, I run into Stephanie Beaumont from Sea and Be Scene and she tapes an interview for her show on the red carpet with me.

When the film is over, I head back to rest up but first make plans to see 2012 AAPA winner Ashley Mckenzie in the morning, and the NLFDC's Laura Churchill in the afternoon tomorrow. 

People I spent some time with/met today:  Justin Simms, Mark Bishop, Nelson the shuttle driving volunteer, Jennice Ripley, Jan Miller, Ann Bernier, Cindy from WIFT-AT, Laura Churchill, Christine Taylor, Roz Power, Kim the editor, Ciel the casting director, Abby from Creative NS, Barb Doran, Brad Gover, Jacqueline Hynes, Jose Gonzales, Michael Melski,  Ed Martin, Stephanie Beaumont and her cameraman Scott. 

Question is, will I get through this weekend without buying another jacket?  I sure don't need one!

Me with our DP Stephanie Weber Biron and producer Krysta Rudofsky